You're addicted to blood and I'm addicted to you
by digitalash
Summary: A twist in the original story in which Isobel has conceived another child, two years after Elena. This tells the story of the life of Valentina Belfiore and her unconventional relationship with Damon and Elena.
1. Chapter 1

I was a mistake. My Mother I never knew. She had left me after birth, dumping me in the nearest children's home along with all the other mistakes. I knew very little about her up until recently. I was fortunate to find my Father again. Or more, he found me. He had been shown a picture of my Mother heavily pregnant in an old newspaper shortly after she disappeared from his life. Devastated by my Mothers disappearing act, he would sit, late into the night, in old libraries flicking through past newspaper articles, searching for clues of her whereabouts. He spent most of his time lecturing as a professor of Classic painting in the 'Institute of Fine Arts, New York'.

The day that he struck gold was December 1st 1996, a year after my birth. The article was detailing some new information my Mother had uncovered in the field of Mythological History. He was at a loss, unable to find any close family members to ask about the birth of the child, but from looking at the picture and how far along she was at the time the article was printed, he had guessed the child to be his own. He simply couldn't understand why she would have run away pregnant. My Father was a good man, as well as being comfortably well off; he could have provided her with the support she needed to raise a child, at least, even if she had no longer wanted to be with him.

His searching at this point forked off, his reasons for looking for my Mother became less and less about her and more about his potential son or daughter. After travelling the country trying to piece together any clues as to where my Mother was, two years on, when searching through the archives, he came across another picture of her, again heavily pregnant, the article was dated from before he had met her, which meant that before they had met, Isobel had either conceived a child or lost a child at birth and never told him about it. Despite attempting to contact her he hit a brick wall. She appeared to be moving around a lot and the mystery of her apparent pregnancy's lay heavily on my Father's mind, keeping him awake at night. By six years on, Isobel had disappeared off the radar altogether, after he read an article about her disappearance and suspected death.

Shortly after that, he managed to obtain the details of a man named Alaric Saltzman, who he had learned had married my Mother. He was hesitant to contact him due to the uncertain death of my Mother, but managed to find out from a source close to him that they had lived together alone without a child. He had then had to deal with the idea, that perhaps the child had never been born. Had died at birth, or the original image had simply been a trick of the camera, a picture taken at a strange angle. These ideas all begun to run through his mind. That's when he was contacted by her Mother, who had been told, to only, in her death reveal to him the whereabouts of his daughter.

I had been named by my Mother Valentina, homage, I think to my Italian Father, who she, I can only guess out of her own selfishness, had concealed me from. She had caused him to miss six years of my childhood. At the age of six, and I remember the day well and will never forget it, a sunny care worker named Lara appeared at the door to my room, with a tall, olive skinned, brown eyed and blonde haired man of about thirty.

'Valle, I would like you to meet someone' she whispered with baited breath.

Shortly after the formalities, I was allowed to go and live with my Father. My childhood from this point on was full of happiness. It was me and my Father against the world. He worked hard for me and spent what little time he had with me. He would sit me on the edge of his desk with a paintbrush and paper, whilst he researched all the great artists, looking thoughtfully over his gold rimmed spectacles. And I idolised him, I would peep at him every so often from behind my canvas and squeeze my eyes tight before opening them quickly to make sure he will still there and I wasn't dreaming. That this thoughtful, charismatic and intelligent man hadn't just been dreamed up in my little orphan head.

We were very alike me and my Father. I had instantly seen the connection when he walked through that door. As an orphan and I have heard this from many other people who didn't know their parents, you become obsessed with looking at pictures of families and seeing the similarities between people, because you never have that, you never have someone to relate to. I would ask all my friends if I could come round for dinner so that I could see what a normal family was like, so I could see if their brothers and sisters spoke the same and if they had their Mothers or their Fathers eyes. So when my Father had walked through that door and I seen that familiar mop of blonde hair, that skin and those full lips my heart leapt and I almost knew. And he was thoughtful like me, a thinker lost in his own mind. I realised that from the minute I met him, he would stare at me and then drift off. He would struggle to finish his sentences, diverging from the subject and an hour later he would return to his original point as if it had only been three seconds. In that way we understood each other. We were equally comfortable in silence.

By the age of ten, I felt as if the first 6 years of my life, of unhappiness being pushed from pillar to post and never knowing real love, had never happened. I was strong and confident. I was now always addressed as 'Bionda' or 'Biondi', it was how my Father had first addressed me that day in the care home. Upon saying it, a look of confusion had crossed my face. He then explained to me that he was speaking in his Mother tongue and that I was Italian. He had been born just outside of Roma and had moved to America to study. 'Biondi' meant Blondie or 'Bionda' Blonde. From that point onwards that was my name and he rarely addressed me as Valentina unless he was angry. I sometimes wondered whether his choice to call me this was his attempt at wiping the memory of my Mother, who had caused him six long years of pain, searching for me. For this reason I never questioned it, I understood.

And I never pushed my Father into speaking about my Mother too much. That was the only time when I seen my Father get angry. One must understand however, the Italian temperament. My Father always spoke as if he was angry, his arms flailing around his head, but it wasn't real anger it was passion, passion for his field, passion to get his point across. But when he spoke of my Mother, when she dropped into conversation he would clench his fists and his body would tense up and he would go quiet. I got the impression that it was just a childhood romance, but I think the way that she left him heightened his feelings for her and broke his heart.

When I was fourteen, the light went out in my Fathers eyes, he began spluttering and his skin became sallow and grey. He died four months later of cancer. His two vices were whiskey and cigarettes. He smoked Sobranie Russians and I always used to find them sophisticated. By this point I had also began smoking them with him. He had unfortunately, however had a hole in his heart since birth, which he was unaware of, increasing his risk for cancer. Shortly before his death he told me he believed I had a brother or sister and gave me the details of Alaric Saltzman. I put this to the back of my mind, grief took over every thought.

My Father's death affected me, but it also felt inevitable. I spent those amazing eight years of my life with my fingers crossed, feeling like the luckiest girl alive and despite feeling slightly cheated by his death, that I only had him for eight years, I also felt so blessed and I thought about him every day and smiled instead of cried. It took it out of me however, I became thin and withdrawn and negative about the future. I became too excepting of my own failures and frustrated by the formalities of everyday life, imagining how short my life could be and how easily time would be snatched away from me. I was sent over to Roma to live with my Grandmother until I was sixteen and at this point I was free to move back to my Father's home. I was pleased to finally meet my Grandmother and learn about my heritage, I picked up Italian easily and fell in and out of love with the beautiful Roman boys. I felt happy, but I didn't feel home and I knew a few months before my 16th birthday that I would like to return to New York. I was sent to live in a boarding school for a year, in Chicago.

Through this I began touring the country with a professional circus. I had always been very skilled at acrobatics and my school, recognising my talents had put me forward for the show. I arrived at Mystic Falls just two months before my sixteenth birthday. And I would never have believed it If I had been told of what was to come next.


	2. Chapter 2

Part of the tour required us to attend lessons at the schools local to where we performed. I walked up to the school gates hesitantly. I knew I was in for another four week waste of time. You see, because of the difference in syllabuses between each school, it usually involved repeating the same modules in each school I attended and only touching upon it before I moved somewhere else and started all over again. This part annoyed me, but I was doing what I loved and not many people could say that.

My performance as part of the professional circus involved aerial silk acrobatics, that is, acrobatics while suspending yourself from silk ribbons. This was the area I felt most confident in. They would play a song by Imogen Heap called 'Headlock' during my piece and I would do back flips in the air before catching myself on the ribbons and tangling myself between them. It was a very unique form of acrobatics, but my Father being a fellow thespian, had pushed me into all manner of obscure areas of the arts.

The first class of the day was history. Before I knew it my teacher had pulled me to the font of class.

'Right class, today, as you may have noticed we have a new addition. Now you may have heard that there is a circus in town at the moment and Valentina will be spending her last year of study travelling with the circus and performing. She is an aerial silk acrobat.'

I watched everyone's faces twitch at the word circus. You see everyone, when they hear circus automatically imagines people who live in trailers dodging tax, but that wasn't what this circus was about. It was professional, straight out of the biggest dance schools in New York and the circus' name went before itself.

'Here take a seat Valentina, right there next to Jeremy.'

With that I sat down next to the boy the teacher motioned to. He was beautiful. He had floppy brown hair and big brown eyes, similar to my Fathers. He turned and smiled to me familiarly.

'I think that sounds amazing!' he whispered excitedly.

'Really? No one else seems quite so enthusiastic...' I laughed, looking round and catching several people eyeing me suspiciously. Like I might just roll up their driveways after school finished in my RV and never leave.

'Aerial acrobatics are amazing...I watched it on youtube once, I'd love to come and see the show.'

My eyes lit up, I took my passion for the arts from my Father and got excited whenever I spoke about what I do.

'I'd love it if you came, just for your enthusiasm, you're one of the first people that hasn't put a massive metaphorical no vacancies sign around their neck upon the mention of circus.' He laughed and looked at me thoughtfully, before looking down. He continued to steal glances at me every so often and I smiled as I seen him out of the corner of my eye.

At the end of class, Jeremy and I walked out into the yard together, where he approached a girl with long dark hair, big brown eyes and olive skin. I stood next to her and Jeremy looked from me to her with a confused look on his face.

'Uh, Elena, I'd like you to meet Valentina...'

'People call me Bionda...' I said, turning to Elena and shaking her hand. I then reached in my pocket and pulled out one of my Father's cigarettes.

'Uh...they won't let you do that here.' Elena said, rolling her eyes slightly to Jeremy.

'Oh I'm sorry.' I murmured, trying my hardest to be polite to Elena, she seemed awfully snotty.

'Bionda is in the professional circus that just came to town, she's an Arial silk acrobat.'

With that Elena's eyes lit up, she turned to me excitedly.

'Wow, how on earth did you get involved with that...!'

'Well my Dad was an artist, he pretty much pushed me into whatever weird classes he could find. It's my passion though, I never would have dreamed I'd be able to do something like this so young.'

'And you're Italian?' she quizzed.

'I am yes. My Father was from Rome. I've been living there for the last year and a half with my Grandmother...do you know Italian yourself?'

'Well I know that Bionda means Blondie, my boyfriend...Stefan, he's of Italian decent.'

'You should have heard Alaric, he was so pleased to introduce her to the class, he probably thought she was some kind of gypsy of Romany decent, he's big into all that history stuff.'

My ears pricked at the name Alaric and then.

'Mr Saltzman is a hell of a good teacher though and a really nice guy, you'll enjoy his classes.'

My eyes widened suddenly and I looked to Elena.

'Sorry what was his name?'

'Alaric Saltzman, weird name huh? He used to date my Aunt so we're pretty close.'

'Your Aunt? Why did they break up...?' I quizzed, wondering if this woman could possibly be...

'My Aunt Jenna, she...died fairly recently.' My heart was in my mouth, but then I twigged, fairly recently...that couldn't be her.

'I uh...I think I left something in class...nice meeting you two.'

I ran off before they could utter another word and skidded into the class we had just left. I found Alaric sat at the desk and he jumped out of his skin as I ran through the door.

'Valentina, you startled me...are you ok...did you forget something?' I stood in the doorway for a while, staring at him.

'Isobel...did you know Isobel?' I asked after a minute of staring at him, stuck to the doorway.

'How do you know her?' he jumped up out of his seat and began moving towards to window and frantically scanning my hands for something.

'I believe she was my Mother...' I said, struggling to get the words out without choking. He knew her, he knew my Mother.

'But she died, didn't she...I know...it's just...Mr Saltzman, I had a Father..and he was amazing and...he died and all he left me with was your name. But he mentioned I might have a sister and...if I could know her...well maybe it might fill this void I have...I have no other family left in the U.S. Mr Saltzman...if you know anything...'

'I think you need to sit down.' He murmured. I sat at one of the desks, getting my breath back. I waited for what seemed like a life time. I never realised how much I cared about it until I heard his name and then it suddenly become of paramount importance that I speak to him.

'She goes to this school Valentina, her brother was sat right next to you...She was adopted, Jeremy is no relation to you, and she lost her adopted parents too in a car crash a year ago. But there's so much I'll need to tell you. Can you come around to my house tonight? I feel like maybe I should fill you in before we tell her...this is massive...I never knew she had another daughter.'

'My Father spent six years looking for me, she disappeared one day and whilst he was looking for her, he discovered an image of her pregnant, he said he then found another picture of her pregnant, dated before they had met.' I looked to Alaric now, who looked like someone had literally stolen the breath out of his lungs.

'What was your Father's name?'

'Emmanuele Belfiore...he was a University lecturer in New York.'

'Yes...Yes she mentioned Emmanuele. She said she'd got into a financial mess and had to move away...it must be true Valentina.' His jaw dropped and he sat on the edge of his desk playing with his hands.

'So many lies...' he muttered underneath his breath, before clenching his fists, similarly to how my Father would when he spoke of her.

'There's one more thing Valentina.' He breathed in deeply.

' Your Mother wasn't dead, not until very recently did she die. She lied to us all, but I implore you...she wasn't worth knowing. I'm not just a bitter lover, I'm speaking from years of experience, she turned Elena away and she would have done the same to you.'

'She hurt my Father and she took precious years that I could have been with him away from me, just because she didn't want me. I'll never forgive her for that.' Tears rolled down my eyes now and I felt the release that I needed. I'd never properly cried over my Father's death but suddenly all my anger and frustration flew out of me and I almost felt that her having more years than my Father was an injustice, that she deserved it. Why should she survive when my Father died?

'I'm going to phone my friend Damon, he's close to Elena, the brother of her boyfriend, he's tactical enough not to just spit it out to her. I think you should meet him.'

'But Mr Saltzman..'

'Alaric, please...'

'Alaric, I have to perform tonight...I know this is more important but If I lose this I lose...'

'We'll come to the performance...I'll meet you after the show, that's no problem.'

I breathed a sigh of relief. The show was the only thing that would get me through the night, acrobatics was what I did when I was happy and sad, the energy release helped me deal with things better and right now I had so much tension.

I walked out of the class and felt like I was floating, a similar feeling to the day my Father arrived at the door of my bedroom, but I was much more nervous. I felt angry and hated that my connection to Elena, was that woman Isobel. I had so much hate for Isobel.


	3. Chapter 3

I walked out of the class and felt like I was floating, a similar feeling to the day my Father arrived at the door of my bedroom, but I was much more nervous. I felt angry and hated that my connection to Elena, was that woman Isobel. I had so much hate for Isobel.

Later on, at my home, the circus, my legs suspended between two piece of silk, I climbed right up to the top, feeling my fellow performers bouncing on the trampolines around me to warm up. Out the corner of my eyes I saw Alaric arrive, he must have decided to meet me before the performance. I quickly released my legs, cautious of how much time I had before people began to arrive and did a flip in the air, landing on two feet on the trampoline below.

'Woah...' his friend muttered as he approached.

'I told you...' Alaric said under his breath.

'Alaric...it's good to see you.' I said awkwardly.

'And you too...you seem a lot better than earlier.'

'Well...I have a performance...I have to be.' I said, breathing in. I looked to his friend and breathed out heavily.

'Damon.' He offered, holding out his hand, his pupils appeared to grow bigger and smaller in a millisecond.

'Hi Damon.' I said, watching his eyes to see if they did it again.

'You look just like her.' He said, almost in awe...

'No...I don't I look like my Father.' I spat, angrily. Before breathing deeply and mellowing out.

'I'm sorry...I just...that woman took a lot from me that I won't get back...the very idea of anything relating to her...well...'

'Well I meant Elena...and Elena, I can assure you, is nothing like Isobel...your sentiments about Isobel are not far off the mark, I hasting to add, your instinct is correct.' I looked this stranger straight in the eyes. It was rare for someone to be quite as forward as me. I had quite a lot of confidence with being a performer and he didn't seem intimidated by me, in fact he looked me right back and his eyes flickered again. I felt like I was having a staring competition.

Damon turned to Alaric.

'I like this one, she's feisty.'

'Anyway Valentina, we arrived early by fluke...I didn't expect to see you till after the show, I'm sure you need to have some kind of dress rehearsal and I hate to think we're keeping you.' He looked to Damon now who didn't flinch.

'Please, call me Bionda...it's the name my Father gave me.'

'Blondie?' Damon laughed.

'Yes...it's the first thing he ever called me...'

'No, it suits you. But, we already have a Blondie around here. I'm going to go ahead and call you Valentina' He smiled cheekily, with a glint in his eyes. I shot him a look.

'I'd like to talk more...yes...after the show. Please won't you stay and watch?'

And with that I was climbing back up the ribbons and getting into position. The show began with my act and I needed to be suspended from the minute that everyone walked in, ready for when the lights switched on.

When the lights switched on a spotlight fell on me, I was tangled up in a web like formation that the costume crew had created for the performance, I began by doing various flips attached to the ribbons, but the act became much more interesting halfway through, when the music broke in and I descended from the ribbons, doing a sideways twirl in the air and being caught by one of the trampolinists below on my thigh, who then threw me up in the air so that my foot landed on his raised hand. I would then twist my way back up the ribbons, before ending with a massive somersault and landing with a bow.

After the show I found Damon and Alaric waiting for me at the side lines. I had an energy drink because the acrobatics really took it out of me and I was shaking.

'That was phenomenal.' Alaric murmured.

'Yeah, I'm pretty pleased we got to see that. But let's get to it.' Damon's eyes landed on me intensely.

'You will not be afraid by what we're about to tell you.' Damon said mundanely and with that I was suddenly transfixed by him and I felt all the fear and tension of the day flood out of me. Still feeling like I was floating through the air, but perhaps without the adrenaline rush, I focused on this man I had just met and felt awash with trust.

'You need to know Valentina that your Mother was a vampire, she decided that was what she wanted to be whilst she was with me. She was fascinated by mythological creatures and when she came across one that was...Damon, that's when she became one. Some vampires will hurt you but you can trust...Damon...kind of.'

They then went on to tell me the full histories; everything and I couldn't believe it. Completely awestruck Damon demonstrated some of the qualities of a vampire and I sat on the edge of the trampoline, unable to move. I can't say that I expected to be awestruck. As a performer that appears to defy gravity, it was usually me that dumbfounded people, they had certainly outdone me.

'Please, come and stay with us tonight...It doesn't seem right that you stay on your own...Elena has been made aware of this also.' Damon said, keeping eye contact with me. I suddenly felt again this trust wash over me and just as I did Alaric thumped Damon and glared at him, to which Damon replied with a grunt before straightening up into his usual confident poise.

Upon arriving in Damon's house I was immediately confronted by Elena, who looked at me with her eyes wide. Our similarities suddenly became more apparent. We had the same shaped eyes, though mine were green. Our face shapes were exactly the same and we had the same nose. My hair was also similar, long and silky and our figure would have been the same except that I was tall like my Father and towered over her.

'Elena...it really is lovely to meet you but...this is all a bit too much for tonight...perhaps we could speak in the morning?' I spat out. I suddenly became unable to look at her and every feature similar to mine I began to hate, knowing that they had come from Isobel, they weren't my Father's, they weren't my own.

'You'll be staying in the room next door to me; here I'll take you upstairs.' Damon said, he looked back at Elena and shrugged before taking me up the stairs to what was the attic room.

'Here's your room, there's...towels in the top drawer and a bathroom just to the right.' He looked at me again with those intense eyes.

'I'm ok, you don't have to worry, and I've always thought my life was a little strange...' I looked down at the carpet and then stole a fleeting glance at him.

He sat down at the edge of my bed.

'I know this isn't exactly the right time to say this, but I am an EXCELLENT shoulder, to cry on...if you get what I mean?' I looked to him now in complete disbelief and could do nothing but laugh out loud. He looked down and smirked to himself and then his eyes flitted back to me.

'Hmm, well, I'll take that as a no...You'll come round to it, I'm sure, just wait till all this freaky vampire shit takes over your life...and it will.' I started laughing and then turned to this cheeky character and placed my hand on his.

'But Damon...much as I find you...charming, I am still, only fifteen.'

I watched his face fall and his eyes widen and I started laughing uncontrollably, people were often thrown by my age because I was so tall and because of everything that had happened. I had such a mature outlook on life, sometimes old, wise.

'Come on, see the funny side.' I laughed and he smirked.

'I suppose I've committed worse felonies' he grinned and I tilted my head.

'You're pretty quick for a young one...so when are you 16?' he laughed. I looked to this stranger, he was, what you could only describe as beautiful and he had an undeniable charm and charisma, still I had met people like him before, he definitely had Italian blood. He was a heartbreaker.

'Just two months Damon, cross your fingers and close your eyes and it might come sooner.' I winked at him and he let out an almost girly laugh.

'You're a hoot, so do you drink?' he eyed me suspiciously.

'I'm 15...so yes of course. I've been having Amaretto in my coffee's since I was a kid...and my dad brought me up on Sobranie's...he didn't get it quite right in some areas. He used to tell me that he thought it 'most elegant' seeing a lady smoking, there was a beauty in the aloof look.'

'Sounds like a pretty cool guy.'

'Speaking of which, you mind if I smoke out the window?' I began opening the window before he replied.

'No sure, go right ahead.'

Damon watched me blow smoke out of his window for a second, before pouring himself a whiskey out of the decanter on the side.

'You want one?' he poured me one before I managed to answer and clinked his glass with mine as he handed it to me.

'You're in for a rough ride Valentina, believe me. And you should talk to Elena, she understands all this and she can help you through it...she's pretty amazing and I think you'll like her a lot. You definitely remind me of Catherine more than she does...' his eyes quickly darted to mine, probably remembering my reluctance to accept my similarities to Isobel earlier, but I was too tired to argue.

With that Elena appeared at the door.

'Oh, I thought I'd find you in here.' She said rolling her eyes.

'I'm headed home Damon...are you sure Valentina can't stay in my house?' she said, making her point known with the widening of her eyes. So Damon had a bit of a reputation did he?

'Come on Elena, don't get jealous, join in...Valentina was just telling me about her birthday, did you know she'll be sixteen in two months?'

I shook my head at Elena and laughed. It was clear it was actually him that was trying to make Elena jealous, this was part of the big vampire story that I hadn't been told about.

'Sure Elena, I'd love to come and stay with you, if that's ok?' she smiled coyly at Damon, before I followed her out the door. I turned back to look at Damon and he flashed me a mischievous grin, before winking at me.

'You need to be careful of Damon, he's pretty devious and he will use you to get to me.'

'So what's the deal with you two? I thought you were with his brother?' she sighed.

'Yes I'm very much with Stefan. Except, you could say that Stefan is somewhat off the rails at the moment. Damon and Stefan have a long history of falling in love with the same girls and...well it looks like history has repeated itself once again. Just be wary of him...he can be pretty selfish about me, he doesn't care who's feelings he hurts...but then...underneath it all he is a nice guy.' I watched her melt a little and wondered how committed she was to Stefan now he wasn't around so much.

I arrived at Elena's house and collapsed on the bed, my mind swirling from everything I had learnt that day. Whoever would have thought that I would have entered this small town and walked in on such a massive situation?


	4. Chapter 4

Rehearsing the next day, I was greeted by none other than Jeremy, he was watching at the side lines and when I climbed down, he walked over to greet me.

'So...I heard the news? The egg donors sewn her seeds wider than we thought?' my jaw dropped.

'Uh...sorry that was probably a little insensitive…' he muttered under his breath.

'You can call her whatever you like.' I laughed. He walked with me whilst I went to grab some water.

'So Elena wondered where you were staying tonight, she said it's cool if you want to come stay with us?'

'You know Jeremy, despite all my trailer trash jokes, I do actually have a pretty nifty trailer, you want to come see it?'

He followed me into the back, which consisted of a high end trailer camp.

'Woah.'

'Yeah.' I muttered. I took him to my trailer...which was actually a vw hippie van which I had decorated on the outside myself with pastiche of the work of some of my favourite artists. Inside was a bed that folded out and a small stove at the back. I'd opened it out and had a canopy tent which wrapped around the vehicle. I actually usually slept outside and I had a ladder which led to the top. I liked to stargaze up there.

'You wouldn't believe the year we've had.' He said thoughtfully as he climbed to the top of my van with me.

'I can imagine. It's amazing how we can be worlds away but have such similarly dramatic lives.' I looked to him and he took a huge gulp. I was aware that his loss over the last year had been far greater than mine and I regretted saying it immediately. But half of me felt that his loss could never measure up and equate to mine. I'd never had anyone and then I had my Father and now he was gone.

'You should speak more to Elena, she's eager to catch up Bionda.' He said, clearing his throat as he did.

'It's difficult Jeremy, I didn't come here looking for a family. I arrived here. I knew I had a sister, my Father told me on his deathbed, but I never went looking because I want to get over the loss of him before I introduce anyone new into my life.'

'You probably never will.' He said thoughtfully and matter of factly.

'...But then one day you'll look back and think about how you could have felt lonely with everyone else instead of on your own. I know it's easy to isolate yourself. It's what I do, but being with people, it makes it easier. I don't know you, but I know you're more independent than I ever was at 15. You have your own trailer; you travel the country on your own...'

'I'm not trying to be independent or isolate myself, it's the way I'm used to being. I don't want to let my guard down again and lean on someone.' I cleared my throat, mirroring his behaviour.

'This is a little deep for a mid afternoon conversation Jeremy...anyway...' I laughed. He smiled, but continued to look thoughtful. I could see he was very enclosed just like me. I kind of liked it.

'Elena's heading round to the Salvatore's tonight...and Damon...obviously invited you.' He laughed.

'I think I'm going to stick here just for the night. It's a lot to take in. I'm not exactly ready to play happy families yet Jeremy.' He smiled knowingly, we both sat dangling our legs over the edge of my van and he put a caring arm around me and we just sat for a while.

'Well that's up to you, but just so you know, the crazy vampire family is part of the package so you better get used to it.'

I used to think spinning through the air suspended on silk was as crazy and abstract as my life could get, as surreal and out of the ordinary. As close to flying and the supernatural...I sometimes felt...an outer-body experience, but within a day my ideals were shattered.

That night.

I lay on the top of my trailer, blowing smoke rings in the air. I could hear the rest of the crew beckoning me to join in their partying, but here I was, alone and content in my own company. I dragged my mattress onto the top of the van and sat for hours just contemplating life. But I was interrupted.

'You didn't get my invitation?' I heard from beside me.

'Damon you startled me!' I said, literally feeling like my body had jumped 5 metres out of my body.

'I don't believe you answered my question.'

'I'm busy.'

'I can see that.' He muttered, watching me sipping a drink.

'I walked into this, I didn't ask for it.' I said under my breath.

'Just make the effort Valentina, that's all I ask of you. Even if you disappear in 4 weeks along with the rest of this circus, at least Elena can say she knew her sister, I care about her and she's hurting.'

I looked to this character now. A real enigma, I was incapable of sussing him out, other than to say that he held his feelings at arm's length, but they were certainly showing though.

'Pour me one of those anyway.' He said, motioning to my drink.

I climbed down and poured him a drink; pastis a drink favoured my French tramps.

'The good stuff.' He said, laughing. He propped himself up on his elbow so he could look at me in my vertical state.

'The party could have gone on without me Damon, you do realise that?'

'And it did, but now everyone's retired and I'm bored and I need company and you're new and exciting, so please don't disappoint me.' He raised his eyebrows suggestively

I laughed and looked at those deep green eyes, mesmerising. The things I would let him…

'So...I'm bored, you're bored...what do you want to do.' I said, grinning, climbing uncomfortably close to him and pushing him out of his comfort zone, something he was used to doing with everyone else.

'Well...uh...' he said laughing and sitting up.

'First tell me some stories about you.' I said, looking him directly in the eyes. I could see my confidence took him aback.

'I'm the bad one, I'll tell you now to stay away from me because...you'll hear it on everyone else's lips soon enough.' He laughed and I smiled, I always liked people older than me.

'Too late Damon, Elena beat you to the chase, but, she's certainly got a soft spot for you and you, you love her huh?' I said, eyeing him closely.

'You barely spoke to her and she's already warned me about me? Damn maybe I'm finally working on her, she's clearly threatened by you! But sincerely, Is it that obvious?' he said, smiling at me cheekily, to which I nodded.

-'Well, yeah, but that's pretty confusing and deep, is that all you want to do? Psychoanlyse me all night?'

'Or we could drink...and get drunk and I could tell you stories.' I said smiling at him

'Ok, that sounds...less...well.' he rolled his eyes.

'Women.' He proclaimed aloud.

'Well, before here, did you know I was in Italy?'

'No, I mean…maybe Alaric mentioned it in the long and pressing conversation he had with me about Elena's little sister.'

'Well, that's where I was. I have family there. My Father was an Italian as you know and he grew up just outside Rome but his family are all originally from Prato.'

'I see..'

'And so after he died I was sent there to stay with family. I suppose that was a blessing in disguise. Have you ever been there? It's beautiful, but the way of life is completely different. When I was there...I fell for a beautiful Italian boy called Emmanuelle...he was 18, he was studying art in Rome, the same major as my Father had in the same institution.'

'Oh dear what have I let myself in for...' he said, rolling his eyes, but he looked at me straight after, eager for me to go on with my tale.

'He was really rich and his Father was in government, but he was pretty dodgy and in with some really bad people. But you can imagine the encouragement I got from my family. See, my family over there were pretty impoverished. I had lots of cousins over there who hated me for my blonde hair and pale skin, Italians love that and there I was.'

'So did he not get in trouble, since he was older?'

'Of course! My family weren't as bothered as you can imagine, but as for his family, it wasn't good. So he'd pick me up in his fancy car and we'd disappear off together for a couple of days at a time. That sent my family over the edge, you see they knew he was bad, but while he was under their nose they could keep an eye on him.'

'Wow, what was wrong with him? That's pretty weird liking a fifteen year old.'

'You forget, Damon, I was 14 then.' His eyes widened and he laughed.

'But I'd always done silk acrobatics and when I heard about this opportunity from an old friend of my Father's I jumped at the chance. From then on it was like impending doom. We'd argue constantly. I'd wanted to try it long distance. I always knew I was going back after this year but his family manipulated him and they got their way.'

'Do you still talk to him?'

'No, I wish I could. You see, with him we were comfortable in silence. I always used to worry what would happen once I learnt the language fluently...what if he was horrible? What if the things he'd uttered in my ears were vulgar? Then when all the arguments started, I could see our similarities through our anger. He was passionate and that was all that mattered. You can be the worst person in the world but in my eyes if you have passion then, it just fires me up...we'd argue and fight, fists and everything, but deep down it was just because we didn't want to let eachother go.'

'So why did you go? Why did you come back? Do you think underneath it all you wanted to find Elena?'

'No, not at all, I felt closer to my Father here. This was the way I'd always known things. You see, over in Italy I was surrounded by people and I had this amazing romance but I felt so empty still, I was just going through the motions, here I at least I have a purpose.'

'That's pretty deep.'

'I enjoy the silence, I enjoy being alone. I even enjoy not having to worry or care about anyone, it's slightly numb but, being around family just makes me realise what I've lost.' I stared up to the sky for a second and he turned to look at me.'

'But here you are, now, with family, with Elena.'

'I want to care; I want to show her the same enthusiasm she's shown me. But I didn't come back for this...I just happened upon it. I'm sorry, I understand you love Elena and you want her to be happy but it's not that simple for me.'

He touched my arm and I flinched back a little.

'I don't need you to comfort me; I don't want you to think I'm telling you a sob story. I just need you to understand why I'm not so up for family gatherings. I'm not being hard faced or hormonal, I'm just being me. I've chosen to be alone. I know you probably think I'm pathetic, young and naïve, that not of that stuff really matters or means anything, but it all cumulates into the person I am. I may be 15 but grief has aged me beyond my years.'

'Quite the contrary…surprisingly…I keep forgetting, you're playing the part of someone older, you're convincing, even if underneath it you've still got a few Barbie dolls knocking around.' He winked at me and I smiled and then he opened his mouth hesitantly.

'That numb feeling. Lets just say, as a vampire, I understand that. That feeling is multiplied by about 20. When I really switch off and don't care about anyone, it's euphoric. But there comes a time Valentina, where you sit and think about something horrible, like your Mother dying and you can't shed a tear. You're soulless. I know sometimes it's more painful to care, I made the same decision as you a few years back and let's just say the repercussions of that decision were a lot more severe, but the worst thing for me, was not being able to show any remorse. You might not feel lonely now, or desperate, or sad. But that will come in time. From someone who understands more than you know. So just make a little effort, even if you have to grit your teeth.'

'You're right, I can't cry.' I smiled.

He shrugged and took a long sip of his drink.

'You're pretty smart for a 15 year old, you have a lot of wisdom.'

'I've had a strange life Damon.'

'By the sounds of it, you have...and I can only tell you, it's about to get weirder. You'll fit right in here….by the way, no one knows about this conversation…god you've got me going all soft. If you were 16 I'd have to fuck you just to keep my reputation intact. Shame, jailbait.' He smiled

Damon's p.o.v.

I watched this enigmatic character unfold before my eyes. She spoke with as much life experience as me and we all know how old I really am. She was a dark blonde, with the softest looking skin, a light olive colour. She had big eyes, just like Elena's. She was tall and I listened to her as she moved her long legs up and down, occasionally pointing her toes in the air like a ballerina. And I could see a tattoo; just on her hip bone, where her top had ridden up and her shorts had ridden down. It was a dia de los muertos tattoo. Her eyes were lined in a thick black, much heavier than Elena's and I couldn't help but scrutinise every inch looking for Elena. Was it wrong for me to look at her and think of Elena? Was it wrong for me to find her achingly beautiful or was I simply looking for Elena and grabbing on to the closest thing?

Valentina

I could understand why I was constantly warned against Damon. His character was quite interesting. Confident and cocky, slightly intimidating, but not to me; but then, I should be afraid, he could do things that I could not control nor understand. I needed to be wary of this character, yet out of all the people I had met so far, he was the one that I trusted the most, he was the one that seemed to be being honest with me. I understood lots of things that I would never have dreamed of since I arrived in Mystic Falls, and yet, I still felt detached from it all. Like I was reading about it in some fantasy novel and not living it. Like I was watching myself in some horror film. I too had a cocky air about me but a lot of my confidence was just on the surface. When you're alone and young you have to act as confident as you can, if people sense any weakness, they doubt you and suffocate you, want to Mother you. And all I really wanted was to be left alone.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, I awoke in my trailer to find Elena knocking on my door; she wore a cute pair of jersey shorts and a camisole top.

'Elena, I wasn't expecting you.' I said, holding my head, which ached from drinking the night before.

'I thought I'd come round and...well...maybe you could show me some silk acrobatics...I used to cheerlead...so I'm quite agile?' I rolled my eyes without thinking and she began to protest.

'I know what you're thinking, little cheerleader thinks she can do anything. And I get the impression you're not...enamoured with me...but hell...we're sisters? Can't we at least give things a chance. I don't know if you got it already but, since I lost my Mother and Father my family means a lot to me and that includes you.'

I was Italian...and pretty nuts about my family too, so I couldn't protest. I smiled, rather half heartedly but I don't think it showed and took her to the ring.

'Elena, this is the ring, this is where I perform and that contraption over there is my silks.'

'And your abseiling kit, where's that?' I laughed aloud.

'What would be so amazing about silk acrobatics if we had a harness, do they harness cheerleaders when they thrown them up in the air?' her eyes widened and she took a long look at the gap from where the ribbons ended and the floors began.

'Well no of course not but...'

'Come on, I'll show you something.' I hurried over excitedly and Elena looked over with fear at the ropes, standing still.

'Don't worry I'll lower them for you! But I'm making them higher each time you do it.' She laughed and followed me over, rolling her eyes and I grabbed the edge of one ribbon, tying in around my right leg, before swinging my leg around the other. I then held my wait on my hands whilst I pulled the ribbons, up over me and twirled around them doing a somersault, before landing on the floor.

'Woah.' She said.

'If you think that's good you should see the show. I can teach you to do that in fifteen minutes Elena!' she looked over hesitantly as I began wrapping the silk around her right leg, then held the left silk in a loop so she could swing her other leg over.

'Right the important thing to remember is that it not just about doing a somersault in the air, you need to be untying yourself while you do it or you will tangle yourself up. During my performances, it looks like I'm constantly tangling myself up, but actually I'm untangling myself. '

'So tip forward and as you do, the ribbons in my hand, I pull them under my legs?'

'No, over...right one two three.'

I watched as she span, but got slightly stuck in mid air and I started laughing at her, with her bum sticking up in the air.

'Right...haha...you see...haha...what you did?..You wrapped yourself...under...so pull them over and you'll release yourself, but slowly...turning at the same time or you'll just drop like that.'

'Not funny Valentina, my head hurts!' she turned slowly and landed frightened, balancing on her tippy toes as she came down.

'Good for a first try though!' I said enthusiastically.

'Yeah but now you're just going to higher them again and I'll get scared.' She said stubbornly. You could tell she wasn't used to not being naturally good at things. But this was such a crazy thing to do; it involved strategy, like having to untie a necklace whilst suspended up in the air.

'Damon? What are you doing here?' Elena said, her eyes widening at him annoyed.

'I guess I just wanted to come and laugh at you...besides the fact, Valentina and I are meant to be going for hangover ice cream, we were up quite late last night.'

I watched Elena fall straight into his trap of winding her up as she turned towards me with a face of thunder.

'YOU SHOULD NOT, be drinking with her, she's 15! PLUS the fact, what are you doing hanging around my sister, staying up late into the night...going out for ice cream, you creep...ugh.' she pushed Damon and he stared cockily at her.

'Come on Damon , I think it's funny, but now you're just trying to make her jealous...Elena can come for ice cream too. Take no notice Elena.' I put my hand on her shoulder and led her out of the circle, taking a glance behind and give Damon daggers, but smirking, to which smirked back with a look of curiosity on his face.

I spent most of the journey there, reassuring Elena that Damon was just using me to get to him, I don't know what upset her more, the fact that he appeared to be more interested in me than her or the fact that he was flirting with a minor. But that was a whole different story, at the end of the day, it was clear to me from the start that despite the fact Elena had just acquired the sister she never had, there was hostility. Hostility from the moment Jeremy had introduced on that first day of school and the look on her face when she realised I was her sister. Of course she was threatened; Elena was beautiful, smart and talented. She had all of the boys chasing her. But I was new and exciting and as little as I wanted the attention, I was aware I was going to get it.

But more obviously and whether Elena knew it yet or not, it wasn't just him that was mad about her, she found him curious, interesting, and forbidden. Even when she warned me about him, every time she said his name a fire lit up in her eyes, like she was telling me about another time when she'd been younger and exciting and have drank on the football field. Elena, acted more mature than me, but she was uptight. I was going to show her how to be fun again.

'So where is this mysterious Stefan?' I said, my arms linked with Elena's as Damon tailed behind, appearing annoyed at the lack of attention he was getting and with that comment he circled in front of us, reminding me of the ringmaster in our circus, animatedly taking the words out of Elena's mouth.

'Why young Stefan has took a powder so he can play out with his big vampire friends and suck peoples blood, he comes back from time to time to boink Elena, I've heard her...so don't be fooled by this demure act.' He said, his eyes glinting at her, he then linked arms with me and continued the conversation, ignoring Elena's obvious sadness.

'But you don't need to worry about any of that...just kidding...you should be worried...you want to be part of this family, you've got to have everything that comes with it, being kidnapped by Vampires and used as bait, uncontrollable boyfriends, me when I'm on the edge (quite often, especially when around jailbait).' With that Elena snatched him away from me.

'STOP IT DAMON, stop trying to impress the new girl, this is your brother! How can you be so cold, remember I'm here Damon.' He looked at her now and softened and grabbed the top of her arm.

'I was...just trying to light heartedly let her know what she's getting herself into...it's not an easy thing to explain.'

'Yeah well...Damon, do you really think she'll take it seriously if you put it like that? This is a dangerous world for her to walk into. We are the only people who can know about her existence, If Klaus for example was to find out...or dare I say it...even Stefan, Damon...they'd snatch her from me at the earliest opportunity...look at you...you're already trying to use her to get to me Damon...and just so you know, it's not working. It's just reminding me why I chose Stefan.'

I held my hands up in the air and they turned to me.

'Well this has been lovely and all...but it's all a little heavy for me you guys. You see...I don't know if you all noticed but I'm part of a travelling circus and that means that I travel. I'll be here for another 3 weeks and then I'm gone. And it will have been lovely meeting you and maybe I'll come back to visit but that's it.'

They both looked me wide eyed and open mouthed.

'But you're 15, what do you suppose you're going to do once this finishes? You're not old enough to do all this on your own Valentina.' Elena said her eyes darkening.

'I hate to be the adult here Valentina, but she's right.'

'Well, my Nonna is my sole guardian and she is quite happy with the arrangement and that's all I need. I head back to Italy in May when the tour finishes.'

'But you're all weird and closed and emotional and shit, I thought you'd be all over this vampire stuff? I thought...' Damon said matter of factly.

'Well thanks Damon, I appreciate that but...I'm not going to spend the next five years of my life chasing a load of vampires and playing with magic. Silks are my life and while I'm comfortable with the knowledge that santa might well exist now, I don't really want to dedicate my life to your existence.'

'This isn't about Damon, or Stefan. This is about me and you? Surely you want the chance to be normal, to have a sister, to attend high school, you'd be an excellent cheerleader...you could come to the ball's, you can be normal. Your childhood was shot apart when you lost your Father...I know how that feels...'

'Elena, I was always happier in my Father's company, he was an intellect. My Father had four passions, Art, Existentialism, Sobranies and Pastis. He was a happy man. I don't want to be a cheerleader, or hold hands with some American footballer whilst I don some cheesy flower on my dress. It's not me.' Elena looked at me offended at my analogy of her day to day life and Damon nodded in an agreement at my point, but then looked shiftily and awkwardly at me and then at Elena.

'I have an idea; don't make any rash decisions now. Decide the day you leave, let us sway you.' He smiled at me, again a mischief in his eye and I wondered what he had in store.

'That's fine Damon, but you're not half as beautiful as Italian men.' I said, linking arms with him and Elena forcefully again.

Damon.

My plan? Well I always had a plan when it came to Elena. You see, Klaus, for a while had disappeared into obscurity. She felt fragile and constantly on her guard. Stefan was out of the equation. He'd betrayed us all. Then there was Valentina.

That was something I didn't plan for. When I looked at her, I winced. Another loved one to add to the list of people I had to protect, another person who with one longing look, Elena could get me to put my hand in a flame for. I might as well get to know her, maybe even get to like her. She had Catherine's sass, but I was sure that would be blown away once she really realised what it was like, being a part of this, this family. You see, I could tell her about all the awful things till she was blue in the face, but in her mind, with her loss, she already felt like nothing worse could happen. She was wrong. In fact, the best thing for her now, really, would be to leave. But selfishly and true to my character, I wasn't done with her yet.

Valentina

That night I sat longingly in my cabin, blowing smoke rings out the window. I thanked the night time every day for giving me the chance to be acceptably alone. One thing I was learning very quickly about Mystic Falls however: I was never alone for long.

'Knock knock' I heard sarcastically at the door.

'Damon? Come in.' I said, I turned to the door and smiled at the dark silhouette.

'You know, if you keep sitting alone in the dark like this, you might win Jeremy's title of the most emo member of the family.' He mocked, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

'So what's with the late night visit Damon? You craving some female company?' I smiled and he tilted his head slightly and his eyes caught the little bit of candle light.

'I actually come bearing gifts, don't get too flattered though, they're filled with Vervein.' I looked to the locket, it was an emerald stone with the herb encased in it.

'It's beautiful darling.' I laughed and he brushed his hand with my shoulder.

'Here, let me.' He whispered charmingly. He brushed my hair over to one side with his cold hands and draped the locket around my neck, eagerly touching my collarbones and running his hands up my throat as he did. I shivered. I couldn't forget what he was, even for a second. But I couldn't show weakness. I had to make them feel I was ok with this, I had to be strong. So I turned to him, we were inches apart now and looked confidently and abruptly into his eyes.

'I like you better than Stefan. I don't know him, which gives you the advantage.' I said laughing.

'We're both equally as terrible for your sister, but then again, I don't think I've ever met a girl who wants to be with the good guy.' He winked at me as I said this.

I always felt with Damon it was a battle of confidence, of who would back down first, who would look away first. It was like a game, but it came with an aching attraction, which intensified the more he fought back.

'Let me get you a drink.' I said, still not losing eye contact with him, he looked slightly to the side and I felt like I'd won.

'What you don't drink now?' I said, mockingly and he looked down, he looked down!

'I should probably go, I don't think your sister would like me hanging out with you too much.' This was his weakness, but it didn't make me respect him. I frowned a little and pouted and he stared towards the radio.

'What the heck, I love this song...that's a reason to stay right, only if you'll dance with me though?' I laughed and reached out for his hand and he picked me up, flinging me around my cabin, banging my legs on the surfaces as he did, I couldn't stop laughing, when he was done he propped me up on what was my sink and stood in front of me, close, my legs still around him. He was silent and he looked at me daringly.

'Now you're just asking for trouble.' I said, laughing at him and kicking him away with my knees.

'You see this is exactly what I was talking about! 15 and already straddling an older man, you're trouble, a bad influence. You're Katherine.' His eyes glittered but my face fell.

'Oh come on, don't you ever wonder?' he said, breaking the distance I'd created between us and propping himself up on the sink next to me.

'Sometimes I do, just for a second...' I said honestly.

'Well she's just as terrible as you probably want her to be, that's what you want right? You want all of the people related to your Mother to be awful so you can justify hating them? Well you're right, but if you're going to bark up that tree then so am I, everyone is selfish Valentina, you'll learn that being around here, pretty quickly.' He gave me a thoughtful look and I hopped off the sink and poured two drinks.

'You really should get out more as well, you know it's bad to drink alone?'

'Well...I'm not drinking alone Damon. Besides, I'm 15 remember, there's other things I can't legally do.' He laughed and chinked my glass with his.

'Ah, you're good company, I'll admit it, you don't back down easily.' He downed his drink in one and then knocked his glass with my chest.

'You're not bad company yourself, I'm not cut out for being a teenager, that's why I did the ultimate cliché and joined the circus.' He laughed and opened the door, looking outside at the goings on. A person downed a bottle of beer and threw it at my trailer, whilst another spat out some flames, gargled a drink and started laughing.


End file.
